Alohaa...Hawaii

Deciding on island
One of the important factors on visiting Hawaii. Hawaii consists of several islands each of which are diverse with a variety of activities. Based on our criteria we decided we will be going to Oahu and Big Island
→ Maui - scenic drives, Hana, beaches
→ Oahu - Beaches, Hawaii city life, Museums, International airport
→ Big Island - Active volcano(will get to see the lava flow).

Planning and budgeting: We started browsing various sites for deals ex: Expedia, Priceline, Costco travels(we have Costco membership) etc. Please make sure to check multiple sites as they run promotions.

Flight & Accomodation: We got a really good package in Costco travels for flight, hotel and shuttle. There are packages including car as well but we did not take it initially thinking we will not be needing one. Our package was RT to HNL and accommodation.

Travel: On the day of travel wear a light jacket and be prepared for a long flight. Food is provided as it will be a long flight. Upon arrival every passenger is requested to fill an agriculture form(kind of declaration on what was brought onto the islands).

Transit and parking on the island: Parking is a big pain on the islands. Hotels charge around $35-$40/ day and every place we visit has parking fees. Looking at this we initially did not rent a car assuming we would be fine with shuttles and ground transportation, but eventually rented a car for convenience.

Island hopping: We booked local flights from Oahu to big island. The flights are pretty reasonable and they take about 45min of travel time. On Big Island we mainly wanted to see the active volcano, it was just a day tour so we did not stay there that night. We flew early morning and came back in the last flight for the day

Day-by-day activities

Day 1: We landed around 1pm super excited. We were greeted at the gate with fresh lei(flower) garland. Took shuttle and reached our hotel, our shuttle driver was very friendly he suggested several local eats and some fancy restaurants to try. We took hotel near Waikiki beach, this is the most popular area to live if you are visiting Oahu(walkable to beach, restaurants, activities, mall..very happening). By the time we reached Hawaii after a long flight we wanted to spend the rest of the day relaxing. So we checked hotel if there are any events going on in the hotel(hotels host live musical evenings or hula shows so make sure to check with them). Our hotel had a hula show and wine tasting evening so we got freshened up and went there. Spent some time there and went out for dinner. We wanted to go for fine dining, after doing some research around we finalized hula grill Waikiki. Very fancy place with amazing views. This place is always crowded, reserving a table will be helpful. If you are in Hawaii and you drink, I totally recommend having Mai-Tai's or Pinacolada. We had them in every restaurant we went.

Day 2: I called it Beach day, got our beach towels, beach chairs, umbrella and lots of sunscreen and we headed towards the BEACH. Hawaiian beaches are the best, if you visit during peak season beaches might be crowded. We went during thanksgiving which are kinds off season in Hawaii. We were able to find a good spot so started set up our chairs and umbrella. It was such a relaxing day watching the waters(shades of blue, as the sun shines on it. Amazing!!!). It was a bit sunny(higher 70's to lower 80's), we spent around half a day on the beach and grabbed a quick bite. I was looking for some local eat's near the beach and found this amazing place Mami's empanadas, a small truck with few seats. We had empanadas and corn arepas, very authentic flavors. This is right on the beach walkable totally helpful for a quick bite after spending time at the beach.

Mami's Empanadas

We walked around the Waikiki beach area in the evening(weather was just perfect, sunny but not hot, cloudy but not raining). We stopped at Rumfire for some drinks before heading back to our hotel. Very nice views of the beach and a cool place to hangout. My husband had local beer and I had pinacolada in a coconut, oh yeah thats actually fun

Day 3: This was the day we travelled to big island. We had a really early flight from HNL to Hilo. We rented a car coz the travel from airport to volcano national park is about 1 1/2 hr.  We booked the Lava hike - half day extreme hiking tour which involves hike on the black mountain(hardened volcano). This is by far the most difficult hike I have done but at the same time it was amazing. Very unique experience, we actually got to see the hot lava flow. Make sure to wear a good hiking shoes, carry plenty of water, snacks, energy bars, hat, sunscreen and a good camera :) The tour guide will walk us through which path to take and where to walk as we are pretty much walking on a active volcano dried up few years back. The tour name is lavatours.net and Cheryl the owner of the company and tour guide is amazing. By the time we were done we were super tired. We spent the rest of the day on the island exploring waterfalls, hilo farmers market(drinking fresh coconut water). Had dinner and reached airport.

Day 4: We were a little tired because of the hectic hike in big island the previous day but the fact that we have submarine scooters scheduled was exciting. We got ready and rushed to the Aloha water sports(about 20min drive from Waikiki). If you are planning to do underwater activities make sure to eat a proper meal before diving in. People assume that eating and diving doesn't go well. But no, you need to have energy to do your activity. We had a heavy breakfast and went to the boat. Typically small boats takes us to a point where we can see some fish and underwater life. We rode for about 10min to reach the spot and the guide explained safety measures and instructions to follow. We were given life jackets and signed all the paper work. So the trip takes 4 people at once so me and my husband were teamed along with another couple. We were all set and when our time came we were asked to step down the boat(a ladder was attached to the boat) into the ocean. Our tour guide was waiting with the scooter. I was asked to hold the scooter, take a deep breath and dive into the oceans and reach for the helmet and get into the helmet. Ok so I had trouble as the helmet was about 20inches deep and I took like 2-3 turns to successfully get into it. Once I got all settled in I was asked if I was doing okay(when the guide gave instructions they will show by the moment of hands okay, not okay, get me out of here signs). I waived saying I am doing great. They took few snaps of me and the merged the scooter a little deep where I can see more fish and sea-life. It was amazing, while I was roaming around in my scooter I saw my husband just getting onto his scooter. Once he came along we took some pictures with our GoPro roamed around the fishes. Amazing time. Underwater stay was for about 15minutes before they pulled our scooters out of water. We came back up, had some snacks and relaxed. At this point we were extremely tired with back to back activities so we reached our hotel and look a long power nap. We went for dinner and drinks at Rumfire. It was nice place very lively with good views of the beach.

Day 5: We were pretty tired with the previous two days activities, started the day relaxing. We had reservations for Hilton Waikiki Hula at 5pm, they did the hula indoor due to some weather conditions which was fine. It would have been nice if we had it outdoors but this was fine too. Hula is a traditional Polynesian dance, very unique performances. I would totally recommend going to at-least one of the hula performances. Make sure to go on time as there will be line. We were welcomed with the LEI fresh flower garland and escorted to our seats. The program began with some introductions, fun activities(ex: tattoo paintings) and live music performances followed by dinner buffet. Loved every bit of the performances never felt bored, the fire show was awesomeeeeeee.... I don't think I can express this more with words so I will post few pictures(they speak for themselves).

Day 6: This was the last day of our trip. We packed our stuff and checked out of our hotel. So there was this guy from Mami's Empanada(we ate on Day 2) who suggested us to drive to north shore. Its a scenic drive that covers Oahu island roundtrip would take about half day with halts. It was a scenic drive indeed, beaches, view points, scenic drive, local halts etc. We drove for about half a day took tons and tons of pictures. I would recommend spending at-least couple of hours driving to north shores. We get to see the country side of Oahu lot different than the busy Waikiki lifestyle.

Honeymoon in Paris

Paris is one of the most romantic places on earth and a perfect honeymoon destination.  After a hectic wedding all we want a relaxing time to spend with your loved one. I got married in April (5 days Indian wedding) and post wedding ceremonies and visiting pilgrim places in the hot days of India totally drained us out. I was really looking forward for our honeymoon as I was dreaming about Paris since 16. Months before our wedding I started planning Paris trip.  I did all my homework of how to apply for Schengen visa, where to stay, what to see etc.  To begin with we require a visiting visa to enter France. So we applied for Schengen short term visiting visa. Please refer to my post on Schengen Visa on how to apply.  After booking tickets I started looking for where to stay, places to visit, where to eat etc.. I wanted a stay in a room with Eiffel tower view so we booked our stay in Pullman Paris Eiffel with Eiffel tower view(make sure to ask the hotel about view when you make reservation). This is located in a great place, just blocks away from Eiffel tower and restaurants.  Streets were busy any time of the day since it was located in walk able distance to Eiffel tower.

Coffee places one thing I love about Paris is coffee places. There are a variety of local coffee vendors throughout the city; I mostly drank mocha’s and cappuccinos. You can try few places such as La Cafeotheque, Cafe Aouba, Foundation Cafe etc..

Places we saw

Eiffel Tower – Most spectacular views of Paris can be viewed from Eiffel Tower. Climb the tower both levels for the best views.

 

Montmartre Area: Montmartre is talked about by Parisians the way New Yorkers talk about the Village: It's not what it used to be, It's like Disneyland, the artists can't afford to live here anymore, too many tourists etc.

 

Avenue des Champs-Élysées - Frequently described as ‘the world’s most beautiful avenue’, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a Paris must-see. Tourists and Parisians can be spotted strolling at any time of day or night and at any time of year along this iconic two-kilometre stretch between the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. Like the Eiffel Tower, the avenue is a symbol of Paris. It is lined with restaurants (Hard Rock Café, l’Atelier Renault, Ledoyen etc.), luxury boutiques (Louis Vuitton, Mont-Blanc, Guerlain, Ferrari etc.), flagship stores (Banana Republic, Abercrombie, Sephora etc.) and nightclubs. It is also the setting each year for major events such as the Bastille Day military parade, the arrival of the Tour de France and the Christmas lights. Finally, the Avenue des Champs-Elysées has some of the top museums in Paris: the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Palais de la Découverte and the Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton. Round off your visit by climbing all the way to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for a spectacular view of Paris!

The Louvre or the Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument in Paris, France. The museum is located in Louvre Palace.

Paris Pierre-Herme Macaroons: My husband and I did a "Macaroon crawl" across Paris and hands down these were the absolute best. The perfect treat exists here! No cafe, just small shop with the most delicious macaroons you'll ever have.

Schengen Visa

The Schengen Area is the area comprising 26 European countries that have abolished passport and any other type of border control at their common borders, also referred to as internal borders. It mostly functions as a single country for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The Area is named after the Schengen Agreement. Countries in the Schengen Area have eliminated internal border controls with the other Schengen members, and strengthened external border controls with non-Schengen states. The Schengen area encourages the free movement of goods, information, money and people.

Twenty-two of the twenty-eight European Union (EU) member states participate in the Schengen Area. Of the six EU members that do not form part of the Schengen Area, four – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania – are legally obliged and wish to join the area, while the other two – Ireland and the United Kingdom – maintain opt-outs. All four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland – have signed the Schengen Agreement, even though they are outside the EU.

1.     First determine if you need visa to visit Schengen countries, list of countries that fall into the Schengen category are: (https://www.axa-schengen.com/en/countries-schengen-area). If you are an Indian citizen you would need visiting visa to enter Schengen countries. Citizens of other countries please check visa requirements under http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/requirements-exemptions.html.

2.     Determine the embassy/consulate nearby to you.  List of embassies for each Schengen country in USA and India are as follows: http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/embassies-consulates.html

3.     Now, gather the list of documents needed to apply for a visa

                         i.         Application form http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/application_form_english.pdf

                       ii.         Two passport sized photographs.

                      iii.         Copies of all pages of passport(include blank pages also).

                      iv.         Proof of medical insurance (for travel dates)

                       v.         Proof of sufficient financial means.

a.     It is recommended to have enough funds in your account. Please reference the below link for an approximate expense information for each Schengen country per day. http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/means-of-substinence.html

                      vi.         Application fees: Schengen visa fee is

a.     60 Euros per person – Adult

b.     35 Euros per for children 6-12 years of age.

c.      Free for children less than 6 years.

                    vii.         If non-US citizen, copy of valid us visa.

                   viii.         Supporting documents such as airline tickets for the duration of stay, hotel confirmations, and car rentals etc. Please make reservations but do not pay until visa is issued.

Note: If visiting Germany or Denmark supplementary documents are needed. For Germany fill http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/germany_declaration.pdf and for Denmark fill http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/supplementary_information_form.pdf

Cruising to the Bahamas

My husband planned a surprise gift for me on my first birthday after wedding to “Bahamas”. This was the best surprise ever and a very romantic trip.

Caribbean islands are one of the most romantic islands in the world. Caribbean islands consist of a list of islands including Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Cancun, Cozumel, Barbados, Haiti and Jamaica.  I always wanted to go on a Cruise trip. So he looked for cruise lines from Texas and Florida (ports in southern USA).  Galveston and Houston are two ports in TX, which has multiple cruise lines to Mexico and Jamaica but not to Bahamas. Miami is one of the largest ports of calls in southern USA. So, he started browsing different cruise lines from Miami to Bahamas.  After some research in internet (Trip advisor, Cruise Critic, Yelp) he finalized Royal Caribbean cruise lines.  Royal Caribbean has a large variety of cruise lines. The cruise line we traveled is called “Majesty of the Seas”, 3 Night Bahamas Cruise.  Since this was our very first cruise trip, we wanted to keep it short, to avoid the seasickness and any health issues that might come up due to journey.

Booking tickets and Bahamas visiting visa:

My husband and I are both Indian citizens, we need Bahamas visiting visa to enter the Common wealth of Bahamas.  You can check specific visa requirements under http://bahamas.visahq.com/requirements/India/resident-United_States/.  Once you determine you need visiting visa, follow the instructions under

http://www.bahamas.gov.bs, click on Non-Residents tab and select “Visiting the Bahamas” and then select “Visa Requirements”(direct URL was too long to post here). Texas residents can mail in their completed applications to Miami Consulate. Please call the consulate before posting the documents (sometimes the address in the website is not updated). Visiting visa usually takes 1 week for processing, so plan accordingly.

Cruise lines always run some promotions or deals, look out for them(Priceline, expedia, cruises.com etc..). We booked the cruise online via http://www.royalcaribbean.com/home.do.  There are different types of rooms (usually called staterooms - cruise terminology), Interior, Exterior and Suite/Deluxe.
Booking the right stateroom and the correct deck is very important in your cruise travel to make sailing as enjoyable as possible. “Majesty of the Seas” has 12 decks (floors), deck 4 being the main deck of the ship.  As the deck numbers keep increasing passengers can feel the motion of the vessel. So the higher number of deck you are, the more movement you feel. As, I already said this is our first cruise trip; we wanted to play it safe. So, we booked our stateroom in deck 4(interior stateroom). I think interior staterooms are a good deal, unless you are into a view or a balcony for two reasons, one they are very inexpensive compared to the other staterooms and two, in our case we were not spending much time in the stateroom expect for sleeping and getting ready.  So stateroom did not really matter that much (we were in fact glad we did not spend much money on stateroom).

Before you board (week before you board):

This is the time for you to learn all about Cruising, things to do on board and ports of call on your cruise trip.  There will be a lot of documentation provided by your cruise line, please go through it and complete all the paper work before hand. Check in at least a week before your travel date and print Sea Pass (This is a crucial document, it is your primary id card for the entire cruise trip) and your baggage tags.  All you need to carry while you are on board is your sea pass, any on board expenses will be charged to your sea pass (A credit card will be associated to your sea pass). I really like this concept since all you need to carry is this one card, no other id or credit cards needed anywhere on board. Check-in process will also need you to specify a dinner time. Since this was my first cruise trip, I was wondering what it is. Basically, there are common dinning ares in the cruise and once we select the dinner time, we will be put in the common dinner area in that time slot. There are other dinning options as well in case you miss this slot. Now, its time to decide on what activities you will be doing on board and in the shore.  Shore Excursions can be bought before hand or in the cruise (I would suggest buying them before hand to save some time on the shore). Yes, its a bit expensive when bought via cruise lines, but it has its own upside.  When shore excursions are bought via Royal Caribbean they provide transit to the excursions if needed, this helped us a lot to get to Atlantis, Bahamas (will talk about this in a bit).

Day 1: Please go way ahead of your boarding time. Yes, there will be line for check in process. Keeping aside the line, first day of the cruise is always exciting and fun filled with a number of activities on board.  As we reached the cruise line on our first day of travel, we checked in our baggage just before the security check (outside of the main building), this is a similar to how we check in baggage in airlines, just print your baggage tags and attach to your bags. We reached by noon, completed the security check process and checked into your stateroom.  As we enter our stateroom, we saw it was well arranged with all amenities (just like any hotel room) and a brochure called “Day 1: Welcome day activities”. This is your tour guide for the day, this will contain all the activities you can do on day 1, including shows, shopping, restaurant open table timings, welcome party by the crew members, shopping guide in Nassau downtown show (this show had few perks giveaway - a Royal Caribbean charm bracelet, it was very cute), happy hours in few bars to name a few activities.  The activities list will also specify what kind of dinner it is (casual or formal) which helps us dress accordingly. Evenings are the best time in the cruise, there are photographers all around the cruise, taking pictures.

Day 2:  The second day was the best day for me. We woke up early as we heard the announcements that we reached CocoCay (A private island of Royal Caribbean).  Cruise has anchored near the island and they had small boats to take us back and forth to the island. We got ready got onto one of those tender boats (smaller boats to carry people from cruise to the shore) and reached CocoCay. Tender boats run every 30minutes between cruise and the shore, so you can get back to the cruise anytime you want. The last tender will leave at 4.30 pm. This was one the cutest islands I have been to. It was small, but there was lot going on. Number of shore activities were going on here (parasailing, jet skiing, snorkeling). Royal Caribbean provided Caribbean style barbeque on the beach side. Food stalls were setup on the beach with a variety of barbeque items served. The best was the Caribbean jerk chicken. Hands down it’s the best barbequed chicken we ever ate. The taste was so authentic Caribbean style, we totally loved the food.  We rented floating mats and relaxed on the waters. There were Hammac's everywhere in the island for visitors to sit back and relax. There was this cute little Straw market with a wide variety of shops(bags, souvenirs, beach wear, hats etc.)

 

 

 

We spent the whole day in the island and returned to the cruise by 5 pm. Went back to the stateroom, got dressed and went to dinner. It was a formal dinner night at the cruise, so people were all dressed up and taking pictures. The dinner was a treat at the cruise. We can actually ask the head chef to get some Indian food or any other as a matter of fact(if in case you feel like eating it, they provide biryani, tandoori's, curries(veg and non veg), naan etc....yummm).

Day 3:  Nassau Bahamas. Cruise reached Nassau by 8am, we ate breakfast and were eagerly waiting to get there. There are two options to do in Nassau, 1. Visit the world famous Atlantis or 2. Visit Nassau downtown for shopping (cruise shopping tour guide will provide all details of shops in downtown and the deals going on). We chose to visit Atlantis and booked aqua-venture in Atlantis; this includes all the water park activities (http://www.atlantisbahamas.com/thingstodo/waterpark). The most adventurous slides in Water Park are leap of faith and challenger slide. My most favorite is the Serpent Slide (we pass through a clear tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon). We had so much fun in the water park. We rode most of the rides and then hit beach. We relaxed on the beach till 4.30, shopped for some sovereigns and returned to the cruise by 5(Cruise leaves from Nassau port at 5pm).  We returned to our stateroom and relaxed for sometime. In the day planner, I saw a very interesting event about sale designer handbags and watches sale. Remember shopping in cruise is tax free, yes!!! You wont be charged any tax. Had dinner and visited the guest services to talk about checkout. Let me explain how the checkout will be, so we will receive a checkout slip to our stateroom mentioning what time we are assigned to get out of the cruise. Typically the assigned timings will have all people standing in line for checkout and usually it takes time. So one of the friends whom we met on cruise suggested that we let guest services know that we will be doing a express checkout. What it means is we should be ready by 8:00 am and go to main deck. You will be directed out of the ship into the immigration area. Usually there is no line at this hour and many people don’t know about this and they will wait for their checkout time to get out of their rooms. This was very helpful to us, we were able to get out of the cruise in less than 20minutes(including port of entry.

New york (Big Apple) - The city that never sleeps. The city I fell in love with as soon as I landed. Visiting New York is a dream for many youngsters from all parts of the world. I would like to share few facts from my past experiences about visiting NYC.

3 major things to think of as soon as you decide you want to visit NYC:
1. Where to stay? As soon as we start thinking of the hotel, we think its going to be very expensive. Well, it is for sure expensive but we need to decide wisely when we spend huge amounts on the accommodation. There are hotels all around the city, but the best place I would suggest is Manhattan(if possible around Times Square). Typically, the hotels would cost around 200 approximately in Lower Manhattan and 150-200 in areas like Brooklyn and Queens and the prices for hotels around Times square start from 270 and goes up based on the amenities you are looking for. I would highly recommend taking hotel around times square though it is a little expensive for two reasons, one - you get the feel of staying in the city that never sleeps, two - you can save a lot of time traveling as Times square is in the heart of the City. Most of the attractions are few blocks away(ex: Empire stare building, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, Madam Tussades, Paramount pictures, Broadway Theatre and many more).
2. How to travel in the city? Don't even think of renting a car in NYC. The roads are jam packed with vehicles, people crossing on the streets when there is green for vehicles, single lane road appears to be a multi lane roads, you keep hearing horns very very frequently. It will be nightmare for drivers from well obeyed traffic rules cities to get a hang of driving in NYC. The best way to travel around the city is MTA. There are subways connecting all parts of the city and buses for connection between subways. Trains and buses run frequently and they are cheap and environmental friendly. Simply get a weekly pass or a 10 ride metro card from MTA based on your Itinerary and enjoy the transit.
3. Where to eat? Being in one of the best cities in the world people always tend to think you got to eat in fancy restaurants. You can always have a romantic dinner in one of the skyscraper restaurants or somewhere in Exchange place where you get a very beautiful skyline view of NYC, but everyone visiting NYC must taste the local foods. There are a variety of options based on your requirements. My all time favorites are:
3a. Halal - When I first stayed in NYC in 2007-2008 there were limited Halal stalls, but now a days you can find halal stalls in every street in Manhattan. I have tried quite a few and my favorite is Gyro's Halal in 53rd and 6th 53rdand6th.com, these guys maintain consistency in the quantity and quality. I like them the best, but as I earlier said each individual has a different taste so you may like something else. Any Halal stall you chose go during the busy hours, that's when you will see them make fresh. I wouldn't trust some food that's just parceled and given to me.
3b. Pizza - NYC has many famous local pizzeria's http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Best+Manhattan+Pizza&find_loc=New+York%2C+NY. I personally tasted Lombardi's Pizza and Grimaldi's and I loved them both. I cant really say which one is best but you will love both. So please try pizza from one of the local Pizzeria's in the city.
3c. Dessert - I heard many good reviews about Magnolia Bakery in Times Square and in Grand Central. I would also recommend Bouchon Bakery, they have a wide variety of bakery items.

Well, having said a lot already, I would like to continue with the most exciting part. What to see. There is a lot to see around NYC. But my Must see's include.
Times Square - There are tons of things to do in Times square ranging from hangout places to bars to historical places to movie theaters. http://www.timessquarenyc.org/entertainment-attractions/index.aspx, the activities keep you so occupied that you will never feel bored.
Statue of liberty - Sandy has drastically effected Statue of liberty, visitors are not allowed to the liberty island until 07/04/2013. For visitors prior to the opening date, they have a sightseeing cruise lines that start near Pier 78 http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/tourpage.php?item=NYWGLM. You can even get good view of Statue of liberty from the battery park.
Wall Street - Get a quick glance of the very popular NY bull and yeah there will be a line, so plan accordingly.
9/11 Tribute Center and wall street walks - If you are interested in having a tour of wall street and knowing history they do offer a variety of touring packages. https://www.wallstreetwalks.com/, you can also visit the 9/11 tribute center.
Empire State Building - The 86th floor observatory Offers one of the best views of not just NYC, but New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Central Park - Widely spread across half of manhattan, Central park in one of the beautiful must see places in Manhattan. If you are visiting with your spouse or gf/bf you can try the Horse Carriage ride http://www.centralpark.com/guide/activities/horse-drawn-carriages.html for a romantic tour.
Grand Central Terminal - Visit either while traveling to Connecticut or just to have food. This has good variety of places to eat. http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/
Rockefeller Center - 70th floor observatory deck offers the skyline view  similar to the Empire state building, you can visit either one for the skyline view. Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting is a world-wide symbol of the holidays in New York City. Ice Skating Rink is open in winters thru april, please check calendar before planning as the schedule might change.
Visit one Pier - For a wide variety of seafood and exquisite views of Brookyln bridge and Manhattan bridge, do visit any one of the Pier's during dusk.

There are a number of sightseeing buses running around NYC. Think wise before choosing the tour package. Sometimes, it is cheaper to buy indivual tickets and sometimes its cheaper to buy the package keeping in mind you will be travelling a lot.

Have Fun :)